Our classic for book club this round is The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde. I have been wanting to read this book for awhile. I have heard about it on multiple occasions and had a vague idea of what it was about. Turns out it really was as fascinating as I thought it would be. Wilde’s writing is witty and entertaining. Even in areas that I didn’t quite understand, I could tell that he had some great social commentary on the topics that he discusses.
The book explores Dorian Gray’s decent into a carnal lifestyle after discovering that his portrait, painted by a good friend, will take on the effects of age and sin leaving him unblemished. Dorian eventually becomes his own destruction as he becomes obsessed with his portrait that reveals all of his evils.
The climax and ending of the book are shocking, and to me, they came suddenly and are written a bit abruptly. It was just the tiniest bit predictable but still enjoyable and satisfying.
This was my first Wilde read and it was very dark but also intelligent, I would imagine, much like Wilde himself was. A great classic to add to your repertoire. 7/10
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